Flies In Attic Uk
You may see a large group of cluster flies around a window as they are attracted to the light on sunny winter days.
Flies in attic uk. Cluster flies also known as attic flies are household pests. Cluster flies are common in the loft and attic spaces of homes and business premises. The warmth generated here means that flies are naturally drawn into these cavities and voids particularly during the months of october and november where they congregate in groups or clusters. Unlike more familiar blow flies such as the bluebottle genus phormia they do not present a health hazard because they do not lay eggs in human food.
The anomaly is that cluster flies may try to get into one house but may stay clear of a neighbouring house even if it is a pair of semi detached properties. Light and dark gray checkered abdomens. Cluster fly image licensed under cc. Cluster or attic flies are the genus pollenia in the blowfly family calliphoridae.
Most commonly they move from the ground to your attic for the winter when it gets cold. Flies that gather in roofs around windows and on walls inside in the autumn and winter are called cluster flies also known as attic flies. Naturally your house is warmer. They are strictly parasitic on earthworms.
The grass flies or cluster flies or attic flies are the genus pollenia in the family polleniidae are completely harmless to human health. Thus the common name they have of attic flies. Cluster flies then re emerge around late winter spring time when they can become a problem again. They require warm places to hibernate over winter.
A large gathering of flies in your loft space attic or wall voids particularly in autumn is likely to be cluster flies. By instinct they seek shelter away from the elements such as in the fall when it gets cold. The females lay their eggs near earthworm burrows and the larvae then feed on the worms. These are not the same as the blue bottles that buzz hard against the windows in the warmer weather or the house flies and smaller flies that are active in summer too.
Cluster flies seek refuge in cold weather and find their way into attic spaces and similar areas indoors. Common cluster flies polleniarudis are large and black and look very similar to house flies so can easily be mistaken for them. If you seal cracks and crevices around windows under eaves fascia s and door frames this can help to prevent them entering. One of the best tips for getting rid of attic flies is to keep them from entering the house in the first place as trying to eliminate them after they are in hibernation can be difficult.
The thorax of an adult cluster fly is covered in short golden hairs and the wings overlap when at rest. Cluster flies are commonly found in quiet undisturbed parts of your home such as attics and wall voids. Cluster fly larvae develop inside earthworms living in the ground outside of homes. Cluster flies facts identification control latin name.
Cluster flies are often known also as attic flies. Attic flies which are also known as cluster flies are insects that often migrate into homes in the fall where they hibernate for the cooler fall and winter months.